The mine blast occurred in the Ras al-Jadah district, west of the Old City. Iraq is one of the world's deadliest countries for journalists.

Stephan Villeneuve, a French video journalist, and Bakhtiyar Haddad, his Iraqi fixer, were also killed in the explosion while on assignment for France 2 TV, reporting on an advance by Iraqi forces against Islamic State militants.

Haddad was killed immediately by the blast, while Villeneuve and Robert were seriously wounded and were taken to a US military hospital in Qayyara, south of Mosul.